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Same car, but two drink driving charges in one night

Christopher Knaus

Police are outraged at the bizarre antics of a drunk driver and a drunk passenger, who were both nabbed for drink driving after swapping places behind the wheel last night.

Police were conducting random breath tests on Caswell Drive in Aranda last night, and pulled over a Mazda 6 sedan about 8.40pm.

The 22-year-old driver returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.079, and will face court on drink driving charges at a later date.

But despite police advice, his 21-year-old passenger was pulled over by officers just an hour later on the same road only a few hundred metres from the random breath test station.

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He failed a roadside screening test, and was taken to Belconnen Police Station, where he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.063.

His international licence, which subjects the driver to a zero alcohol limit, was immediately suspended.

He was taken to the ACT Watch House, charged with drink driving, and will now face the ACT Magistrates Court on November 15.

Traffic operations sergeant Rod Anderson said the incident showed that messages about the dangers of drink driving do not seem to be getting through.

"In this case both men ignored advice by police by driving the Mazda after the first driver had been caught drink driving," Sergeant Anderson said.

"It's appalling that these two drink drivers have shown such disregard for the law and are clearly willing to put not only their own lives at risk but also those of their passenger and other road users," he said.

"If you breach the road rules and place your own life or the lives of others in danger, we will catch you."